Internet crime reporting

Reporting helps protect you and your neighbors

Internet crime can begin with an email, text, social-media message, online advertisement, or telephone call that leads to a fraudulent payment or compromised account. Residents and association boards can both be targeted.

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) receives reports of cyber-enabled crime. A report can help authorities connect incidents, but does not guarantee an investigation, personal response, or recovery of money.

Pause. Verify. Report. You do not have to handle it alone.

What to do immediately

1. Stop the interaction. Do not send more money or follow additional instructions. Use independently verified contact information instead of links or telephone numbers supplied by the suspicious person.
2. Contact the payment provider now. Tell your bank, card issuer, wire service, payment app, gift-card issuer, or cryptocurrency platform that a transaction involved a scam. Ask about reversal, recall, freezing, or other available action. Recovery is not assured.
3. Secure compromised accounts. From a trusted device, change exposed or reused passwords. If someone remotely accessed your device, disconnect it and obtain trusted technical help; follow the FTC’s recovery guidance.
4. Address identity exposure. If personal information was misused, use IdentityTheft.gov for a recovery plan. Ask about fraud alerts or credit freezes as appropriate.
5. Preserve and report. Keep a short timeline and supporting records. Contact law enforcement when the matter is urgent; do not wait for an online complaint to produce a response.

Recovery guidance: FTC: What to do if you were scammed.

Where should you report?

Also report affected transactions to your financial institution and misuse to the relevant account or platform provider. Different reports serve different purposes; one should not be assumed to replace the others.

Official resources: FTC reporting guidance and PBSO contacts.

Prepare a useful IC3 complaint

Anyone affected by cyber-enabled crime may report; someone else can file on the victim’s behalf. Gather contact details, dates, amounts, payment and recipient information, suspect usernames or contact information, website addresses, and a factual account of events. Include email headers if available.

Keep original emails, messages, screenshots, receipts, and transaction records securely. IC3 does not accept attachments; retain evidence for investigators. Save or print your submitted complaint before leaving the confirmation page. To add information later, file a new complaint explaining that it supplements the earlier report.

See the IC3 FAQ for current submission and evidence instructions.

A simple incident timeline

Record when contact began, what the person claimed, what you were asked to do, what payment or access you provided, and when you notified your bank. Separate facts from assumptions. Store the record privately rather than posting sensitive information in a community group.

Scams residents and boards should recognize

Suggested safeguard: independently call a known contact to verify payment changes. For associations, use a second authorized reviewer and established payment procedures. Urgency is a reason to verify, not skip checks.

Beware of a second scam after the first

IC3 warns that it does not partner with private firms or crypto services to recover lost funds and will not directly solicit information or money from you. Independently verify anyone claiming official authority. Do not pay an unexpected “recovery fee” based on a promise to retrieve stolen funds.

How neighbors and boards can help

• Share official reporting links in welcome packets and safety notices.
• Offer patient help to residents who need assistance using a form.
• Let the resident retain control of accounts and private information; never ask for passwords or one-time codes.
• Share scam patterns without naming victims or exposing account details.
• If association money or systems are affected, promptly involve the bank, manager, insurer, qualified IT support, and counsel as appropriate.

Reporting a scam is a constructive step. Avoid blame or embarrassment that discourages someone from seeking help.

Look out for one another. Verify before you trust.

Keep these official links handy

Reviewed October 17, 2026. This page provides educational reporting guidance and does not collect complaints, payments, or personal information. Use official reporting sites directly. Emergency situations require immediate contact with emergency services.

When association money or accounts are affected

Board Synergy recommended practice

Assign an authorized incident coordinator and contact the bank promptly through a known number. Do not wait for the next board meeting to report a suspected fraudulent transfer.

• Contain with qualified help: Ask the bank about recall or freeze options. Have qualified IT support secure affected accounts, review unauthorized access and forwarding rules, and preserve relevant logs and messages.
• Notify and preserve: Contact the manager, insurer, and counsel as appropriate. Preserve original evidence and let counsel assess any legal notification duties; a fraud report alone does not satisfy every duty.
• Prevent recurrence: Independently verify payment-detail changes using a previously known contact, require the established second approval, and confirm controls before resuming transfers. Share lessons without victim or account details.

Connected Board Synergy guides

• Financial controls
• Uco information security continuity
• Board members email
• Condominium insurance
• Resident mental health decline guidance
• Phone numbers

These checklists are recommended practices. Florida law, governing-document requirements, UCO procedures, and contractual duties have distinct authority. Verify the controlling requirement for your association.